Boku wa Natsukashimu Desu
by Katya Scriptari
Summary: Yugi's had enough. He can't take any more of his life, so he runs away, wondering if anyone at all will miss him... Mentions of abuse, mild swearing Chapter 3 Up! At last! .
1. Leaving Home

**Boku wa natsukashimu desu**

Title means 'I miss you' in Japanese. I may change it once I figure out what "Something missing" is in Japanese, though.

Song at the end is "Missing" by Evanescence.

Do I own either Evanescence or Yu-Gi-Oh!? Maybe in my dreams….

======

Yugi walked slowly away from his home, tears trickling slowly down his cheeks. He stopped, looking back at the quaint Game Shop that had been his home for as long as he could remember.

He adjusted his book-bag and turned away sadly, continuing on his solitary journey down the sidewalk...and away from his life.

He'd put up with it for so long...the abuse, the taunts, the knowledge that there wasn't a soul in the world who knew or cared about him. Yami had made sure of that...to the point where he himself had forgotten about his little light.

A part of him hoped that Yami would notice his absence when he got home, but he mostly knew that it was futile to wish for things that would never happen. He'd pictured the scene he had prayed would happen so many times...

_Yugi began to walk away from his house, head downcast, not looking back._

_"Wait!" A voice stopped him in his tracks. He waited, not turning back until he heard the running footsteps behind him stop. He looked up into a worried Yami's face._

_"Where are you going?"_

_Yugi remained silent._

_"You're not running away, are you?"_

_Yugi just nodded, and began to go._

_A hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Please don't go, aibou."_

_Yugi almost stopped breathing. Did Yami just say what he thought he'd said? Hardly daring to believe it, Yugi turned back to look up at Yami once more._

_Yami looked close to tears. Abruptly, he hugged Yugi tightly. "Please don't go...I'm sorry, aibou, I'm so sorry..."_

'Ha. Fat chance,' Yugi thought gloomily, continuing on his way. He wished that someone – anyone – would notice his absence and miss him. Though, since he hadn't had any human contact (with the exception of the occasional bully) in months, he doubted that he'd be missed at all. 

The chilly evening wind whipped around him, and he found himself wishing he'd brought a heavier jacket. 'No sense in crying over spilled milk,' he told himself, 'you'll just have to make do.' He'd be able to buy a jacket once he was out of Domino. That was his goal: to get as far away from his hometown as possible.

He passed the arcade, and a pang in his gut caused him to stop and look longingly inside. How many times had he and his friends hung out there? How many memories did he have of playing games there with Jonouchi, laughing at him when he pretended to be mad at a move Yugi made? So many good times...

However, the last time Yugi had been to the arcade was a year ago. The good memories were growing harder to unearth.

Peering inside, Yugi was able to make out seven figures. Seven very familiar figures. Seven figures who used to hang out with him all the time.

Honda.

Anzu.

Otogi.

Mokuba.

Seto.

Jonouchi.

Yami.

He knew he'd miss them. Even his yami, who had given him no reason to miss him at all.

Jonouchi's rejection had hurt him the most. 

After all they had gone through together, after Yugi had almost died to save him, after Jou (as Yugi used to call him) had almost died at the hands of Malik...his best friend, who he would have sacrificed anything for, shoved him away forcefully and replaced him with Yami.

Yugi continued on, not noticing that a pair of ice-blue eyes had seen him.

A minute later, that pair of blue eyes was focused on another arcade game, dismissing the small teen from his mind.

~*~*~

"We should be getting home," Honda commented. "It's getting late."

Jou checked his watch. "Holy crap! Is it nine already?"

"What, can't read your watch properly?"

"Shut it, Kaiba..."

Anzu interrupted them, laughing. "Stop bickering, you two, or else you'll get us kicked out."

Seto smirked, although merriment was evident in his eyes. "I can influence the owner if I have to..."

Laughing and chattering, the group walked out and went their separate ways.

~*~*~

How long had he been walking? Yugi couldn't read his watch in the dim light. He'd have to wait until he reached a streetlight.

Since he obviously was not going to make it out of Domino tonight, he had walked the streets of the city aimlessly, not caring where his feet took him. 

'Finally, a streetlight,' he thought as he saw the light ahead. Stopping under it, he read the time.

"9:30," he said aloud, incredulously. He'd only been walking for 45 minutes? Looking up to see where he was, he was surprised to find himself in front of the Kaiba Mansion. 

And, by the look of it, Seto and Mokuba had just gotten back from the arcade, for they were getting out of the car by the front door.

Hoping he wasn't seen, Yugi quickly scurried away.

~*~*~

Yami got home at 9:20, in a very good mood. He'd finally beaten Anzu at that dancing game, even though it was only because her shoe fell off. He had enjoyed the look on Seto's face when he'd seen him dancing. 'Yes, I **can** dance, Kaiba,' he thought to himself.

He walked into the kitchen and stopped, frowning. Usually, the kitchen light was on, and a plate of something rested at his place. Tonight, however, there was nothing there. No sign that anything had been touched at all.

Oh yes, hadn't Yugi tried to say something to him this morning? He hadn't listened, of course; he hadn't had time to. 'Maybe he tried to say that he had to go shopping and he needed money,' Yami mused, checking the refrigerator. 

Nothing was out of place, and it looked well-stocked. Odd.

His good mood slightly dampened, he took out some leftover pizza and began warming it up.

~*~*~

"Who was that under the light, Seto?"

Seto hesitated a moment before answering, "I don't know, Mokuba." He knew perfectly well who it was; however, he didn't want his little brother worrying about anything. "Come on, kiddo, it's time for you to go to bed." He led the way up the stairs and to his brother's room.

After tucking his little brother into bed, Seto sat in his own room, thinking. It had been Yugi under the streetlight. 'What's he doing out at this time of the night, anyway?'

He frowned suddenly, realizing that he hadn't seen hide or hair of the petite youth in a very long time. That puzzled him. He hadn't particularly noticed his absence, and Yami had never said anything, so he assumed that he'd just overlooked him or something; Yugi was probably okay.

But the gaunt, skinny boy who'd stepped into the light, checking his watch, didn't seem to be okay. Yugi had looked up, the harsh light accentuating his haggard, haunted features for a short moment. He'd turned quickly and walked out of the light and down the sidewalk, Seto remembered. But his look seemed to be that of one in the lowest depths of despair. Had he eaten at all?

'You're worrying too much, Seto,' he thought sternly. 'It's probably nothing. Some homeless kid with unruly hair just stepped into the light, and you looked too quickly and thought it was Yugi. It's nothing more than that.'

Shrugging off his previous thoughts, the CEO of Kaiba Corp. readied himself for bed.

~*~*~

Yami finished his pizza and headed upstairs, a feeling of slight apprehension tugging at his mind. The house was way too quiet. And way too dark. Usually there was at least one light on.

Face set in a puzzled frown, he headed into his room, planning on relaxing with some of his music. He stopped when he saw a note on his boom box, with a sealed letter underneath it.

_'Track five.'_

Yami frowned. "Track five?" Obviously for a CD...he wondered why. Shrugging, he turned his attention to the letter. 'Yami' was all it said on the envelope. He opened it and read,

_Yami:_

_Look around, and ask yourself if there's anything missing._

Yami looked up from the letter and thought about it. Certainly, his dinner was usually on the table when he walked in. Somehow, he didn't think that that was what this person was talking about. He went back to the letter.

_I doubt you'll think of it at all. You've only ignored it for the past year or so._

_Forgive me, Yami, but I have to leave. I can't keep going on like this. I've put up with it for so long; I'm afraid that I'll go insane if I keep going. At least when you'd hit me, you acknowledged my existence._

_You won't miss me, I know. However, I hope that you at least noticed something odd when you walked in. You're usually observant like that._

_I'm not coming back, Yami. I won't ever come back, if I have a choice. I've only been a burden; if not a burden, then a very incompetent servant._

_I must have done something wrong. I know I must have, if I've been hurt and ignored all this time. I miss having someone to talk to. I haven't had anyone to talk to at all for so long, I've forgotten what my own voice sounds like._

_I just have a question for you. Am I that burdensome and insignificant? After all we went through together...I guess none of it mattered._

_I'll miss you, Yami, God knows why. I know you won't miss me. I merely wrote this informing you that I'm leaving. That way you don't have to get anyone else involved in looking for me (if you ever notice that I'm not there)._

_Knowing you, you probably didn't listen to the song. Listen to it. It's one of my favorites...I actually submitted the lyrics in a contest and I won. It describes me so well...fulfill my last request, Yami._

_I hope you're happy. You should be. You don't have to worry about me anymore. _

_Good luck, Yami._

_~Yugi_

_Yugi?!_ All Yami could do was stare at the signature. He hadn't even guessed it was him until he read the end.

Yugi was gone? He wasn't coming back?

He wouldn't be there to clean or make dinner like he had been for so long. That was the only thing Yami could think of, because Yami hadn't cared to even look at his hikari in God knew how long.

Yami growled, suddenly angry. This was all a joke. He'd go into Yugi's room and find him there –.

Oh yes. He slept in Yugi's room now.

Well, then, he'd go downstairs to the den and see Yugi sleeping, wake him up and punish him for pulling a stunt like that.

~*~*~

Jonouchi yawned, making his way to his room tiredly. He'd been so _close_ to defeating Kaiba. So _close! And he'd STILL lost! Life just wasn't fair._

He sighed, flopping down on his bed and turning over, looking at the framed pictures he'd arranged on the shelf just above his bed.

There was one of the whole group together. He noticed that he was giving Seto the bunny ears, and grinned. Seto had been very angry that he'd done that, but had laughed afterwards.

His little sister and Otogi. They made quite a cute couple, even though Jou was still a little sore at Otogi for the whole Dungeon Dice Monsters thing. Otogi had given him the dog suit for his birthday as a joke, he remembered. He laughed just thinking about it.

Yami and Seto, looking quite amusedly at the camera. Jou had popped up behind Honda (who was taking the picture) with a sign that said, "Hope that his hair doesn't hurt the camera," making it hard for the two usually-serious teens to keep straight faces. 

Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba was so cute; Jou wished he had him for a little brother. 

Honda, Anzu, Otogi and Yami. Jou had taken the picture, and Seto hadn't wanted to be in it.

His class picture, taken in June. Freshman class picture. It was hard to believe they were all sophomores.

He caught sight of a small frame hiding behind the class picture. 'What's in that picture,' he wondered, pulling the picture out and looking at it.

It was so dusty that he sneezed looking at it. He had to take a tissue and wipe it all off before he could even see the picture. His eyes widened.

It was a picture of him. He was standing next to a small, shy-looking boy with wild tri-color hair that was very similar to Yami's. They wore identical smiles and flashed peace signs to the camera.

'Yugi...' he thought in amazement. What had ever happened to him? Was he even at school anymore?

He took down the class picture, scrutinizing it closely. One shock of tri-colored hair...nope, that was Yami. 

Ah, there it was. Second row, on the end, almost invisible. Yugi.

Jou squinted at the tiny head, wondering why there were dark spots on his face. It took him a second to realize that they were bruises.

He hadn't noticed that Yugi was getting hurt again.

Hell, he hadn't noticed that Yugi was there at _all._

It puzzled him that both of them were there. He'd just assumed that Yugi had just let Yami take over. He had forgotten that they'd actually separated.

Tomorrow, he'd make an effort to find Yugi and ask what was up. Yeah. That sounded good.

Jonouchi put the pictures back on the shelf, unconsciously putting the one of him and Yugi behind the class picture again. Then he went to bed.

~*~*~

Yami flopped back onto his bed, glaring at the boom box in front of him.

Yugi was nowhere to be found.

So, it wasn't some weird joke.

_I have to leave, Yami. I can't keep going on like this._

Why ever not? Yami had stopped hitting him months ago. He picked up the letter once more, looking for answers.

_At least when you'd hit me, you acknowledged my existence._

_I haven't had anyone to talk to at all for so long, I've forgotten what my own voice sounds like._

_Am I that burdensome and insignificant?_

Yami frowned. Yugi would have rather had Yami hurt him than ignore him? How did that make sense?

_Knowing you, you probably didn't listen to the song. Listen to it._

_Fulfill my last request._

'Hmph,' Yami thought, annoyed. 'Last request, indeed.' He sighed, looking at the boom box.

It couldn't hurt to try.

He flicked on the boom box. And skipped to track five.

A haunting melody filled the air that made Yami freeze and do nothing but listen.

**Please, please forgive me, **

**But I won't be home again. **

**Maybe someday you'll look up, **

**Barely conscious you'll say to no one,**

**"Isn't something missing?"**

**You won't cry for my absence, I know **

**You forgot me long ago. **

**Am I that unimportant? **

**Am I so insignificant? **

**Isn't something missing? **

**Isn't someone missing me?**

**Even though I'm the sacrifice,**

**You won't try for me, not now.**

**Though I'd die to know you love me,**

**I'm all alone.**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

**Please, please forgive me,**

**But I won't be home again.**

**I know what you do to yourself,**

**I breathe deep and cry out,**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

**Even though I'm the sacrifice,**

**You won't try for me, not now,**

**Though I'd die to know you love me,**

**I'm all alone...**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

**And if I bleed, I'll bleed,**

**Knowing you don't care.**

**And if I sleep just to dream of you**

**And wake without you there,**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't something...**

**Even though I'm the sacrifice,**

**You won't try for me, not now.**

**Though I'd die to know you love me,**

**I'm all alone.**

**Isn't something missing?**

**Isn't someone missing me?**

Yami was slack-jawed by the end of the song. The power behind the song, the raw _emotion_...if he was anyone else, he would have cried. The hopeless tone of the song, the beautiful singer, the sad lyrics...a wonderful masterpiece, to be sure.

And Yugi had submitted the lyrics for it?

He'd said it described his feelings very accurately. 

Yami had, after all, barely even acknowledged his existence for a year...and had abused him a year before that.

And now, Yugi had fled.

Yami, honestly, didn't know what to do. He wasn't overly miserable because his hikari was gone. 

He definitely wasn't happy about it, though.

He decided to think about it in the morning, when his mind was fresh. Maybe he'd ask Seto about it.

Yami slept restlessly that night, the haunting melody of the song floating all through his dreams.

======

Okay...I might turn this into a fic. I had intended it to be a one-shot...but that's what happens when the story writes itself lol. I had intended it to be all in Yugi's and Yami's perspectives...yeah...

R/R please! Thanks!


	2. Lonely Exodus

**Boku wa natsukashimu desu**

Title means 'I miss you' in Japanese. 

Well, since I got so many requests, I'm going to try and continue this fic. I'm also going to do…*drum-roll* Review Responses ™ !!!! How cool is this? ^_~

Towairaito Zoon: *turns beet red in embarrassment* Oh come on…I'm not that good…really…*ahem* Anyways, I'm glad you know the song…fellow illegal song downloader, hm?  ^_~ It's one of my favorite Evanescence songs. Amy never ceases to amaze me with her utter awesome-ness. I'm glad you liked it!

Saiyan Jedi: Aw, you don't cry? Damn. I wanted to make people cry ^_~. But I'm glad that this touched deep. *blushes* thank you. And…I don't know why, but I enjoy making Yami a bad guy for some reason...I like him too, though, go figure ^.^;

Yuki Eiri: *hides* don't hurt me! Please! I didn't intend to continue this, but I am now, so you can't hurt me! ^_~ Thanks a lot for the praise. That means a lot to me.

Lady Ann Kenobi: Yes! It's a fic now! *hides* you're ANOTHER one who I have to beg not to hurt me! Yeah, I wanted it to be that way. Well, Ryou's a good choice...but I want Yugi to suffer for awhile...sorry, fellow Yugi-fanatics...but I'll definitely keep him in mind! Thanks!

Kirbie: *laughs* don't kill Yami on me, now...Yes, AFE is reposted. Two chapters, I believe. Out of…*sweatdrops* 12...yeah. 

DJ Rodriguez: Ahh...I know you like the idea of Yugi hooking up with an OC girl...but I'm a yaoi fan at heart, and there's no way possible that I'll pair Yugi with Anzu, Isis or Mai. Especially not Anzu. Gomen if you don't like that. This story won't be yaoi anyway, so you shouldn't have to worry.

K.C. Whitestar: Nope, "Missing" is an old Evanescence song. It was on one of their EP records (back when they weren't known to more than the population of Little Rock, lol) and I downloaded the song (and many others) off of a file-sharing program. Hey...it's illegal…but the songs rock! *hides from lawyers*

Pretenna: Same here. My clones just LOVE me for that, believe me…*Yugi and Yami glare at Katya* eheh….

Tammi1: Evanescence! Get it right! Please! It's bad enough that people call it "Even scene" and "Effervescence"...*dies* sorry…*ahem* At any rate, Evanescence is beyond awesome, in my opinion. I'm mad too...I had a couple stories that were my pride and joy and now I have to repost them *dies* Thanks, I'm glad you like this.

Wow...This is reminding me of my AFE responses...I'd have like five hundred reviews to sort through lol. Thank you all so much for reviewing so wonderfully!

Anyways. On with the fic! Song lyrics are from "Exodus", by Evanescence. And, K.C., before you ask, yes, this is another song that is NOT on "Fallen."

'Thoughts'  "Speech (duh)"  _Dreams or flashbacks  _**Lyrics**

======

**My black backpack's stuffed with broken dreams**

**Twenty bucks should get me through the week**

**Never said a word of discontentment**

**Fought it a thousand times, but now...**

**I'm leaving home**

It was cold. Very cold. The wind whipped at him from all sides as he walked, head bowed, hands scrunched in his pockets.

Yugi shivered. He definitely should've brought a better jacket. Or at least a scarf. Gloves would've been good, too.

Three days had passed since his departure, and he was just reaching the outskirts of Domino's neighboring city, Kyoto {A/N: This city actually exists}. His supply of food and money had severely dwindled to almost nothing, and Yugi knew that he'd need to get a job soon. 

He'd never known just how big Domino City really was. He'd only left Domino that morning, and it had taken him less than half an hour to reach Kyoto...which, he realized, was supposed to be bigger than Domino. 'What fun,' he thought.

On the other hand, he would certainly be hard to track down in such a large city.

**Here in the shadows,**

**I'm safe, I'm free**

**I've nowhere else to go, but**

**I cannot stay where I don't belong**

Yugi sighed, his breath fogging in front of him, and continued his journey, looking for a small shop where he might apply for a job for the holidays.

'I wonder what Yami's doing now...'

~*~*~

"He's _gone?!"_

"I know," Yami said, scowling slightly at the table in front of him. "Go figure, huh?"

Anzu spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "Oh, Yami, I can't believe it, it's so sad—."

"It's a damned inconvenience, that's what it is!" The frustrated interruption was awarded with a strange look from Ryou.

"'Inconvenience?'" Ryou echoed, "That's all it is to you?" There was utter puzzlement in his tone.

"Well, when you think about it, albino," came Seto's voice, dripping with sarcasm, "he really _is suffering without his precious housemaid. Why, I bet he had to make his own dinner for the past two nights."_

"Aw, SHUT IT, Kaiba," Jou exploded, "YOU get YOUR dinner made every night too!"

"Correction, Chihuahua. I get dinner made when I'm home on time."

Jou thought for a moment. "But...you're never home on time."

"Exactly."

Silence again. Otogi looked uneasily at the CEO who was sprawled comfortably in an armchair.

"Shouldn't we get the police involved?"

Seto sighed, "And what good would that do? In my experience, the police are not very capable of finding someone who doesn't want to be found."

"Well, we should at least LOOK for him," Anzu exclaimed angrily. "We can't just SIT here!"

"Oh, yes we can," growled Yami. He was getting frustrated with this pointless conversation, and he was tired from two nights of restless sleeping. 'That damn _song again,' he groused mentally. He'd ended up listening to the whole album, and consequently had the misfortune of getting several verses from different songs stuck in his head, all jumbled up. Shaking his head, he returned to the conversation, regretting telling his friends about Yugi's departure._

"What d'you suppose he's been doing for the past three days?"

"Walking, maybe? Ever think of that one, Honda?"

"Shut it, Jou."

"Well, if you two don't mind, I need to be getting back to my store," Otogi said, standing. "I need to supervise a major shipment of cards; last time I didn't, a box was stolen by an employee."

"See ya, man."

"Later."

"I think it's time we should all be going. It's cold and it's getting dark," Ryou observed.

A general acquiescence followed his statement, and in a flurry of jackets and gloves, Yami's companions were out the door. Ryou and Seto went last, both giving the former pharaoh a searching look before departing.

Yami looked out the window, musing to himself. 'I wonder what he _is doing...'_

~*~*~

**Two months pass by and it's getting cold**

**I know I'm not lost, I'm just alone...**

**But I won't cry, I won't give up, I can't go back now**

**Waking up is knowing who you really are**

No one was open by the time he'd reached the shopping district. Only a café and a few of the bigger chain stores stayed open.

Yugi considered going to McDonald's to get something off the Dollar Menu. He decided against it; he had only five dollars left and he intended to make them last.

**I've nowhere else to go, but**

**I cannot stay where I don't belong**

He'd long ago lost all feeling in his hands and his feet. The biting cold had seeped through his jacket, and he was shivering. 'Maybe I should just stop this. A life of seclusion in my own home is better than this, right?'

In his heart, he knew it wasn't. He couldn't stand being overlooked or beaten down all the time. He was human, after all, and humans are social creatures, desiring love and company.

'I can't give up now, not after three days. You've got no backbone, Yugi Motou; just stick this out and stop whining,' he told himself. 'It's just a bit of a chill, really...'

Sighing softly, he entered a deserted alleyway. Finding a small space between two looming dumpsters, Yugi let his bag drop to the ground and pulled out the blanket he'd brought. It was the warmest one he had, made of Polartec. It helped a good deal with the cold when he wrapped it around himself.

**I've nowhere else to go,**

**But I cannot stay here, oh**

Dull amethyst eyes closed as the small boy curled himself into a ball, using his bag as a pillow. Ignoring his stomach's complaints, he tried to get comfortable. Tomorrow he'd look for a job.

And the day after that...he'd treat himself to a huge, piping hot mocha latte at Starbucks.

~*~*~

Seto glowered at his laptop screen, a feeling of unease plaguing him to no end. He'd never get anything done at this rate.

It _had been Yugi who he'd seen under the streetlamp that night. And, by the look of things, he'd looked quite the worse for wear. Like a homeless person._

Even though Seto considered the smaller version of Yami rather annoying, he still didn't like the thought of Yugi sleeping somewhere on the streets. He mused this aloud, absently going over Kaiba Corp.'s stats for the week and filing data into their separate folders.

"But, Seto, Yugi's kept out of your way for a really long time. How can he be annoying?"

Seto almost knocked over his laptop in surprise. He hadn't heard his brother come in.

"Don't DO that, Mokuba!"

Mokuba giggled slightly at his brother's startled expression, but sobered quickly. "Gomen, big brother."

Seto gestured for Mokuba to take a seat while he saved and closed out of his programs. Doing so, the younger Kaiba watched his brother with worried eyes as his brother took a breath.

"You have a point," he said finally.

Mokuba blinked. "Huh?"

"I said, you have a point." 

Catching on to what his brother meant, Mokuba sat back. "I don't know how you ever thought him annoying, Seto...but you must've had your reasons."

Seto snorted. "He was too damn happy. So damn cheerful and eager to help, never wanting to put anyone in danger."

"He saved your life twice, big brother," Mokuba said softly.

"It was your idea."

"Only the second time! The first time...the first time..." Mokuba trailed off, not wanting to push a sore subject.

"The first time was when I was dueling on Pegasus's tower for you," his brother finished in a slightly irritated tone.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two, until the younger Kaiba brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"What if that was a mask, Seto?"

Seto stared at his brother, not having thought of this before. Fidgeting a bit under his brother's steady gaze, Mokuba babbled on.

"A mask, you know, how you're not really nice to anyone but the people you're really close to, and how you wouldn't show anything around Goza--."

"I am well aware of what you're talking about," Seto interrupted in a warning tone. He hated facing those memories. Sighing a bit, he rested his head on his fist. "There's nothing we can do about it now, kiddo. Get to bed; it's late." Seeing his brother about to open his mouth, he added, "I'm going to follow you in a few minutes."

Mokuba smiled at his brother and left the room. Seto's computer was off, so there was a good chance he'd keep his promise.

Seto swiveled in his chair so that he was looking out his window and sat back.

A mask. Seto wasn't so sure; in all the years he'd known Yugi, he'd retained the same cheery, way-too-helpful disposition. 

On the other hand, he certainly hadn't seen the boy at all for...how long? Seto couldn't remember. A lot can change in a year, he mused.

He certainly hadn't paid him much attention in the past. After realizing the distinction between Yugi and Yami, he hadn't bothered with the smaller of the two. No sense in getting Yugi involved in what was obviously a rivalry between the two former Egyptians. 

He watched the street below, deep in thought. To be sure, Yami was the better of the two. Smarter, stronger, better-looking (if the girls who constantly drooled over him were any clue)...a brilliant strategist, quick to think on his feet. Seto actually enjoyed himself while dueling the other.

_"You'll **never** be good enough to run this company if you can't do math," Gozaboro snarled. "Get going," he said, shoving the calculus book closer to the 13-year-old, "I want to see an explanation of 'integration' by tomorrow."_

_Seto sighed, tears of exhaustion coming to his eyes as he studied the complicated math. He couldn't let his stepfather get to his head. He had to focus, had to focus..._

Seto started. Had he dozed off? Apparently so; twenty minutes had passed. 

"You'll never be good enough," he whispered to himself, eyes lighting up suddenly. He sat up, staring hard at the street as if it had just given him an answer to a difficult question.

That was it. Yugi was the lesser of the two; that much was clear. And Yami was certainly not above arrogance, as he had shown on a number of occasions. Or contempt, for that matter.

Seto had no idea what went on between Yami and Yugi, but perhaps Yami had put pressure on Yugi like his own stepfather did all those years ago. Or...worse.

'Stop it, Seto,' he told himself. 'Yami doesn't do that kind of stuff. Go to bed and get some sleep for once.'

He decided to do just that.

**Show me the shadow where true meaning lies...**

**So...much more dismay...in...empty...eyes...**

======

Well? What'd you think? I know it was rather boring...I really intended the first chapter to be a one-shot, so I don't have a set-in-stone plot yet. But bear with me, this SHALL take on a plot! I promise!

R&R please! No flames!


	3. Finding his Own

**Boku wa Natsukashimu Desu**

Hello, minna-san! Well, after...ah...almost two months...I've updated! I'm so sorry for making you wait so long!

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I never expected such a great response!

Review Responses!! ^_^

**Painful Life:** *squeaks in fear* *hides under the bed* Please don't hurt me!!! I updated! Please don't hurt me!

**Kirbie:** Um...not yet...Polartec is uber-awesome. But...*furtive eyes* I never said anything!

**Koishii no Tenshi:** Um...sorry. This one isn't too much better...I'm still trying to find a plot. Hope you don't find this too bad...

**Dread Forever**: Um...did you want to say something else? You only said 'um Katya', so I'm guessing that you accidentally cut your own review off…unless I'm being weird…

**LilBlue Hedggie:** Ah, another obsessed Yugi fan. Don't worry, this chapter is mostly Yugi. I'm an obsessed Yugi fan myself, so it WILL have mostly Yugi. ^_^

**Flowacat:** Yeah I know…*sniff*…suffer…oh he _will_ suffer…*maniacal grin*…Um…did I just say something? *blinks innocently*

**Neko Oni****:** *laughs* Yep. Angsty. Would help if you used capitalization. Lovely review, I hope you like this one too!

**Towairaito Zoon:** WINMX ALL THE WAY, BABY! *Big grin* I LOVE WinMX. *flashes peace sign* So much YGO goodness and I can find almost any Evanescence song on there as well(not to mention there's no stupid adware or anything) *uber-grins* Glad to know someone else uses the obscure one too! Have I seen you on there? My name is Katya123 on there (it chose it for me…)

**K.C. Whitestar****:** But of course! I shall send you a couple others that are my favorites as a bonus as well ^_~

**Mittens no Hikari** and **Nightlight5:** You're gonna hate both me and Yami soon…*whistles innocently*

Thank you all again! I'm overwhelmed! I hope this chapter is a bit better than the last. No song this time…because I didn't find a decent one that fit…

_Thoughts_   ~*~*~ Scene change ~*~*~

=====

Yugi moaned softly as he rolled over, trying to block the light shining down harshly, his own private wake-up call.

This was the only time of day that the sun shone in his private spot in between two old buildings. Yugi wondered what he was going to do as the days got longer; the sun would be waking him up earlier and earlier. For now, though, the rising sun illuminated his tiny corner, at the halfway-decent time of seven o'clock in the morning.

His stomach groaned in complaint as he arose stiffly from his small pile of rags. Amazing what people throw away...good cloth. But apparently they all love saving their leftovers.

He still had his last five dollars. He felt rather proud of himself that he had managed to keep it all week. However, the lack of food was taking its toll on him (although he refused to go to the local soup kitchen; what if the police were looking for him?), and he had to put more effort into rising to his feet.

_Today_, he thought determinedly, _Today I'm going to find a job._ There was absolutely no way he would pass up any opportunities. 

He passed by the tiny bookstore on his way to the center of town as usual, but something stopped him in his tracks. He could hardly believe his eyes.

A sign read "Now Hiring" in the dingy window.

Yugi could have jumped for joy. At last, someone needed work! And how lucky it was that just the other day, he'd managed to find a quarter and wash his clothes in the local Laundromat.

Pushing open the door of the small shop, Yugi peeked inside.

The place was very cramped; bookshelves lined the walls and smaller shelves filled up the remaining space. Yugi was surprised to see a few customers browsing the shelves; he hadn't thought that the place got much attention. 

He made his way towards the back of the shop, where the counter and register was. A grouchy-looking older man sat behind the counter, watching his customers, not noticing the small teenager in front of him.

Yugi felt intimidated already. That glower didn't look promising. However, he spoke up anyway. 

"Um...excuse me..."

The man's head snapped to him in an instant and Yugi had to reign in his desire to flinch under that stare.

"Eh? Whaddaya want?"

Yugi gulped a bit. "Um...I was wondering...if you were...well, I mean...the sign said "Now Hiring," and I—"

The man cut him off. "Yer lookin' for a job, then?"

Yugi nodded, fidgeting nervously. He wasn't much of a people person, and got nervous when others stared for too long.

The man leaned forward, surveying him up and down, his eyebrows raising when he saw Yugi's hair.

"That hair o' yours," he sneered. "Dyed it, did you? Think it looks fashionable, do you?"

Yugi looked down. "No, sir. It's naturally that way. You can run any amount of water you like, but it'll still stick up and be three colors. And I...I don't like it."

"Hmph," the man narrowed his eyes at the youth, surveying his worn down and hungry appearance. He was a tad dirty, but was well-spoken and sounded intelligent...

"Y'know...I don' like people coming into my store lookin' dirty," the man said gruffly.

Yugi gulped. He was afraid of this. "I'm sorry, sir…I got…um…cornered by someone earlier..." He hoped he didn't sound too guilty.

The man in front of him surveyed him critically, and for a moment Yugi thought that he'd seen through his bluff. However, what the man said next surprised him.

"Damn hooligans...pickin' on anyone they please...I won't stand none of that here, no sir..." He glowered down at Yugi. "Fine, boy…you've got yourself a job. You'll be workin' in the back usually, stockin' shelves or doin' whatever else I want you to do. Name's Urameshi, but you're to address me as 'sir', you got that? I don' stand for no back-talk and I 'spect you here by eight sharp every day, clear?"

Yugi nodded. "Yessir," he said. "Um...eight sharp every day?"

"Sir," the man growled. "And yes. Eight sharp, six days a week. We don' work on Sundays. An' you don' leave till eight at night. Clear?"

Yugi nodded again. He figured that it would be better to just stay quiet around this man.

"You can start now. Get in the back and I'll show you the ropes. After that, yer on yer own."

The man got off his stool and made his way to the back, which was the same size as the shop itself, showing Yugi where things went and how to categorize. A pile of boxes was his first task: to get all the books in them categorized onto the shelves by author. Yugi bent down to start when the man grabbed his collar.

Fearing the worst, Yugi looked up at the man with frightened eyes. Paying no attention to his predicament, Urameshi growled, "An' listen here. I find you nickin' books or doin' stupid things that I don' like, I won' hesitate to cane you, y'hear?"

Eyes wide, Yugi nodded. _Great. A guy who'll hit me if I screw up. Why does this sound so familiar,_ he thought bitterly. 

He sighed a bit and began the arduous task. _Quit complaining, he told himself. __At least you have a job now. __You'll be able to eat tonight._

The thought was cheering, and Yugi set to work at a brisk pace.

~*~*~

Jou threw himself on his bed, growling slightly in frustration. It had been a week and he hadn't seen hide or hair of Yugi anywhere. Not for lack of trying. He, Ryou and Honda had been searching the city for a week. Surprisingly, Kaiba had offered his services as well.

Yami had been too ticked off to help them. The pharaoh had been in a ferocious mood the entire week; no one got in his way. Jou figured that it was because he missed his other half and didn't want to admit it, but he wouldn't try and slide this past Yami at all. Not with the state he was in. He'd taken to blasting anything that annoyed him with shadow magic, causing the said object to explode. As of yet, he hadn't gone after any person yet, but the incident with the cat had been particularly disgusting.

"Why the hell'd you run away in the first place?" he glared at the ceiling as if it were his former best friend. "Why didn't you even bother to ask one of us if you _had_ to run away? Y'know we would've taken you in..."

He stopped. Would he have taken him in? If Yugi had shown up on his doorstep asking for a place to stay, would Jou have let him or would he have told him to get home?

Well he knew the answer. Of course _he would. But he wasn't so sure about the others. Otogi had a business to run. Honda and Anzu...their parents didn't really care, but Jou was willing to bet that they wouldn't have let him stay. Kaiba? What a joke...Jou didn't even consider him._

"At any rate, you better turn up soon or Yami'll explode." Jou sighed. Talking to the ceiling wasn't much fun. He'd rather sleep...

~*~*~

Seto growled to himself, slamming the door behind him. "Stupid, arrogant _ass_," he snarled at the empty hall. "I'm going to _kill_ him." He threw himself into his desk chair, glaring at the computer as it booted up.

"Going to kill who, big bro?"

Seto jumped. "Mokuba! Quit sneaking up on me like that!"

Mokuba giggled. "But it's fun," he fake-whined.

Seto merely glowered at him and signed into Windows.

Mokuba was silent for a moment. His brother was in one of his 'moods', as their butler liked to put it.

"What happened, Seto? Who are you going to kill?"

"Yami," his brother snapped. "That arrogant ass of a human being, I'm going to throttle him in his sleep..."

Mokuba giggled. "What'd he do now?"

"It's not what he _did_. It's what he _said_."

"Oh. The idea didn't go over too well with him, I suppose."

Seto gave his computer a look that would've melted steel. Turning back to his brother, he said, "No. It didn't. The very idea that Yugi had run away because he felt inferior nearly made him blow up." Mimicking his rival, he continued, "Yugi _always_ knew he was inferior, it was never old news, so why should he get so worked up now? He's _known_ that for awhile, blah, blah, blah…" Seto fisted a hand in his hair, growling. "Stupid goddamn arrogant son of a _bitch_," he snarled again.

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. His brother was definitely pissed...

"I wouldn't be surprised if he THREW Yugi out of the house and _made up_ the story of him running away to create _sympathy_ for himself," Seto continued to growl, obviously needing to vent. "Goddamn asshole...that King of Games title has gone to his head…"

"I don't think he'd sink so low as _that," Mokuba reasoned. "He wouldn't want to dirty his hands."_

"That's not the point, Mokuba," the angry CEO cut him off. "The point is that he doesn't _care._ He doesn't _give a crap._ The only thing _he_ misses is the servant who did his goddamn laundry."

Mokuba thought for a moment. "You don't think, then, that Yami does miss him and doesn't like not knowing what to do about it?"

"No. I don't. As much as I would _like that to be true, Yami's got his head too far up his ass to feel that much emotion. You should've heard him. Going on about how it was common knowledge that he was superior and Yugi shouldn't have had any qualms about that...as if _he_ knew what goes on in Yugi's mind..." he groused, trailing off._

"Um...Seto...didn't they have some sort of link thing where they could do that?"

"...A good point, but do you really think that ass would've cared to use it on someone so _inferior_?" Seto spat out the last word with such sarcasm that Mokuba raised an eyebrow.

"What are we going to do about it then?"

Seto looked at him. "Do? What is there to _do, now that Yami has made it clear that he doesn't care if his…what's the word he used...__hikari is found? We _do_ nothing. We keep a sharp eye out, but we _do_ nothing."_

Mokuba fell silent, watching his brother access Kaiba Corp.'s data and begin working on it. He didn't like doing nothing...but his brother was almost always right, and he trusted his judgment. Standing up, he made his way out of the room, thinking about his brother and wondering where Yugi was.

~*~*~

"Oy...get in here, boy!"

Yugi complied quickly. He was covered in dust from the back area and exhausted.

Urameshi surveyed him. "Well, yer done for the day." Yugi nodded. "And I don' like to say it, but you worked good. So here..." he handed Yugi a twenty. Yugi stared at it. Twenty dollars? But that meant that he had made only two dollars an hour! Still, it was what he would use to eat with, so he pocketed it quietly, voicing a thank-you.

"Yer gettin' paid now because it's Saturday," the man said shortly. "I pay you every Saturday. Twenty bucks a day if you do good work. Now get. I expect you back here on Monday."

Yugi left numbly, head reeling. Weekly pay. And he only had a twenty in his hand, plus the five that he had left over. He'd be living on the Dollar Menu for awhile, until he had enough money to buy some supplies and perhaps a small place of his own. 

_Twenty...because I did **good work**_, Yugi thought. _Isn't the minimum wage $6 an hour? I'm sixteen...I told him when he asked, so he knows…I guess I just got a Scrooge for a boss…on the other hand, I'll get something decent next week...If I work well over the week, I could wind up with $120. _

Yugi went in search of the nearest fast food place. Coming upon a McDonalds, he only allowed himself a burger and fries, no drink. It came to $2, which meant that he had eighteen left. Eighteen...he'd have to skip a day for meals if he wanted to have any left over, then.

Curling up in his tiny corner, his stomach delightfully processing the greasy meal, Yugi went to sleep, shivering under his Polartec blanket, dreams of warm places and loving arms filling his mind.

======

So? How'd you like it? Bad? Good? Boring yet again?

Yami: Why must you ALWAYS make me an ass in your fics?!

Me: Um...dunno...because it's fun?

Yami: -_-;;;

Yugi; *giggles* Read and review, minna-san! *flashes adorable smile and makes a peace sign*


End file.
